Finding Yourself as a Young Teen

We’ve all heard of the cliché “high school is when you’re supposed to find yourself”. You can deny it as much as you want, because it’s absolutely true. During the chaos of your teenage years, you are bent on balancing out all of the aspects of your life, which can be summed up in your consistent tendency to “fit in”.

However, what you might not realize is that you are actually pursuing the answer to the question “who am I”. It may seem simple, but it’s not – trust me! Actually, it’s the hardest question you will ever have to answer. Finally, once you succeed, and end all the perplexed unpredictable teen chaos, you will get to know something (or rather someone) truly special – the Real You! Like it or not, this is what it means to find yourself, and it just might help you find all the right answers.

Don’t Try to Fit In

Fitting in might seem as a great idea when you are a teen. It also might actually work, but at the end of the day it’s a spectacularly epic fail! In all honesty, what you are actually doing is trying to please (or rebel against) your friends, boyfriend or girlfriend, parents, etc. It’s not about them, and what they might think. Conforming to yourself, instead of others, will allow you to know what you want your life to be. You should have your own clear vision of the goals and ideals you wish to follow. In doing this you will find out that people will still be accepting you. They might even try to fit into your world!

Discover Your Taste

Being a teenager is all about exploring the world around you, trying to discover what you like. Regardless of what anyone else might think, you might really like listening to indie rock, wearing both cargo pants and heels, decorating your room with lavishly colored skate decks, or spending your weekends finding a good book and immersing yourself in it. If it makes you happy, by all means, do it! Regardless of how important you consider time to be, it is still your time, and you have the right to spend it as you please. Why should you be bummed out by that? You are lucky enough to know what you like – so stick to it!

Be Open to New Things

However, the present you and your current tastes are likely to change in a matter of months. During that time you will have countless opportunities to try out new and interesting things. Carpe diem! You might think you know everything there is to know about the world, but you don’t. In fact, no one knows. That’s why it is important to be open to new things, and always take what life is giving you. Who knows, you might find a new hobby, style book, band, or even a boy or girl you might like. Just keep exploring, even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone!

Don’t Let Anyone Criticize You

Accepting who you are also means being proud of that person, and not letting others criticize you. So, stand your ground, and wear that bandana, new hairstyle, shade of lipstick or new cowboy boots with your head held high. Have faith in your choices because, after all, they make you feel good. Exercise your confidence, and treat everyone the same way you would want to be treated. No one will dare criticize your choices once you start owning them with class.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to stay positive and have fun on your journey to self-discovery. You still may have no clue who you really are, but acknowledging that you want to know, means you are already on the right path of finding yourself.

from http://monalisaofblogging.com/finding-yourself-as-a-young-teen